Shrimps Is Bugs How Viral Tattoo Crawled Into Popular Culture

Share icon Image credits: Lewbular When you call out for recommendations, you’ll be amused by the suggestions you’ll get from the online community. Some tips may be constructive, while others are just downright hilarious. One thing is sure, however: they’ll be hard to ignore. In this memeography, Bored Panda follows the ink, explores the origins of the viral meme, and joins the catchphrase debate: Are shrimps really bugs?

The Origins of the “Shrimp is Bugs” Meme

The line first appeared in May 2024 on the /r/TattooDesigns subreddit post in which Redditor Lewbular asked other Redditors for cover-up suggestions for an original tattoo that read, “shrimps is bugs.” The tattoo above his knee had an original design in a plain font. The user posted a photo of the design, and his callout received 17,000 upvotes and 2,100 comments. Share icon Image credits: Lewbular The viral post was uploaded in May 2023, and other Redditors immediately jumped in with their suggestions, saying the tattoo was funny and shouldn’t be covered up. For instance, commenter PlateHopeful790 asked, “Why should you cover up the truth?” His comment brought 3,400 upvotes. Share icon Image credits: PlateHopeful790 Another commenter, bordermellancollie09, recommended getting a tattoo around the original design to show approval for and agreement with the viral line. That comment received 3,000 upvotes. Share icon Image credits: bordermellancollie09

“Shrimps Is Bugs” Meme Spreading Online

The post also inspired many creators to make cover-up suggestions and get tattoos that use the phrase. Many of them shared their thoughts about the tattoo design and their ink stories on the /r/ShrimpsIsBugs subreddit, which was formed on May 17, 2024, and had over 30,000 members as of September 2024. Share icon The recommendations and suggestions came in fast. Finally, Lewbular replied to the comments about his tattoo design, saying: “Alright fine I’ll keep it.” His post, made on May 20, 2024, has gained 2,600 upvotes. Share icon Image credits: Lewbular Redditors started reimagining their own “shrimp is bugs” tattoos. Some shared photos of their tattoo designs, building on the original catchphrase. Others posted random but also comedic shrimp tattoo designs. For instance, Redditor TyrannosaurusWreckd posted a more elaborate design with the same catchphrase and an intricate and colored shrimp illustration. This render has gained 4,700 upvotes. Share icon Image credits: TyrannosaurusWreckd Redditor FI1upper also shared in May that he had fallen victim to someone drunk and wielding a tattoo machine. He posted a picture of a tattoo featuring a mishmash of random designs along with the viral catchphrase. His post received 2,600 likes. Share icon Image credits: Fl1pper_ A year ago, user regmilk also posted his leg tattoo using a tweaked version of the catchphrase. His version showed a shrimp pole dancing and was captioned “sexy shrimp.” His post got 1,700 upvotes. Share icon Image credits: regmilk

“Shrimp Is Bugs” Meme Compilation

It’s no secret that shrimps and insects share some creepy-crawly similarities, but leave it to the memes to turn this scientific tidbit into comedy gold.

“Eating Tasty Wet Bugs”

Share iconImage credits: DogeDoRight

The Look of Disbelief

Share iconImage credits: @the_dapper_shrimp

Roaches vs Shrimps

Share iconImage credits: mrtoddw

“Allergic to Shellfish??”

Share iconImage credits: wastemug

Spot the Difference

Share iconImage credits: DreamLocomotive

“Shrimps is Bugs” Cake

Share iconImage credits: @radical_raptor

Chat Meme

Share iconImage credits: @shrimpdicc

Halloween Shrimps

Share iconImage credits: SensitiveDeer

“Is This a Bugs?”

Share icon Image credits: KadrianReildel

Cover-Up

Share icon Image credits: TyrannosaurusWreckd

Baby Shrimp

Share iconImage credits: unknown

Shrimp Logic

Image credits: unknown

“Shrimp Is Cats?”

Image credits: dirtygutterpunk

Shrimp Worshipper

Image credits: @the_dapper_shrimp

The Proof Shrimps Are Bugs

Image credits: unknown

Falling Out of Love with Your Ink? Here’s How to Fix

If, like Redditor Lewbular, you find yourself falling out of love with your ink, there are things you can do to fix a tattoo. Dana Strung threw in some good recommendations in a feature for Hub Pages in 2022 (1). Strung suggests hiding your unwanted tattoo with specialized makeup for special occasions, like during weddings or job interviews or trying laser removal procedures. The latter might be painful and costly, but the good thing is that today’s advanced technologies work wonders if you’ve changed your mind about your original design. Another creative fix is the one the online community offers in response to Lewbular post: reinventing your tattoo. A good retouch by a professional artist can breathe life into old ink and give it a whole new personality. Whatever method you choose for a cover-up should be given as much thought as the original decision to get one — you don’t want to turn a small mistake into an even bigger one. A less popular option for old ink is to leave it untouched and make it part of your history — whether matching designs with an old flame, a reminder of your teenage angst, or a hilarious drunken night, embracing it is a route that few dare to take.

Are Shrimps Bugs?

On TikTok, the “shrimps is bugs” debate went beyond ink. Creators dug deeper into the discussion of whether shrimp are indeed bugs. For instance, creator and biologist @brian_1368 uploaded a video on September 8, 2023, on his “Explain things” channel to tackle the shrimp-bug conundrum. His post has received 96,300 views and 10,700 likes.

♬ original sound – Explain things Another take on TikTok came from @thevictoriabugzoo account, which posted a video on December 12, 2023, that leaned toward considering shrimps as bugs. The video has logged 78,700 likes with 875,900 views.

♬ A Moment Apart – ODESZA – hannah_harpist However, science says that shrimps are crustaceans (creatures with an exoskeleton or outer protective covering) and belong to a different group within the phylum Arthropoda. According to the University of Hawaiʻi, unlike bugs, shrimps don’t have wings and have a different body structure than insects (2). While shrimps and lobsters may resemble some aspects of insects, their classification differentiates them from the insect category. Conversely, bugs belong to the class Insecta and are characterized by having a chitinous exoskeleton (or a softer cover) and three distinct body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen). In essence, if shrimp or lobster are some of your favorite seafood, that doesn’t mean you’re eating bugs — it just means you have a refined taste for marine crustaceans.

Why Are Shrimp Called Roaches of the Sea?

While we have established that shrimps aren’t bugs because of their biological makeup, it’s indisputable that they still share startling similarities with roaches. According to LibreTexts, both have exoskeletons that protect them from injuries. They are cold-blooded and known as scavengers or opportunistic feeders. They also have very sensitive antennae (3). Many people confuse shrimp with insects and dismissively refer to them as sea roaches. However, biologists strongly disagree, highlighting the significant differences that set these creatures apart.